Chapter 145: No.640 Great Eagle Escort Agency (1)

Chapter 145: No.640 Great Eagle Escort Agency (1)

[The rank of ‘One Point Explosion’ has increased. F -> E]

This event is really great.

It ranked up less than a day after I learned it.

My proficiency was already quite high, and with the mentoring event bonus and the final week’s additional bonus, the growth speed of my skill was incredible.

And if I were to use the ogre as a punching bag all week, I could expect to reach D-rank, or maybe even C rank.

One important goal was now set in motion,

I turned my attention to the next goal. That was dealing with the swordsmanship club.

The method I chose to calm their anger was to offer rewards.

To obtain those rewards, I need to go down to the underground dungeon.

So I placed a guide request for Shin Byeong-cheol and handed over a strategy guide to Go Hyeon-woo.

Late at night,

I met the two of them in front of the dungeon building.

Shin Byeong-cheol rubbed his hands together and a businesslike smile was plastered across his face.

“Ah, our valued customers have arrived~”

“Shin-hyung.”

Go Hyeon-woo replied with his usual smile.

Since we had done this several times before, we moved smoothly without needing Shin Byeong-cheol’s explanation.

We put on the Anonymous badges, swapped our tie pins for the second-year ones, and descended the underground stairs.

Shin Byeong-cheol led the way while checking for any dangers ahead.

He glanced over his shoulder and asked me,

“We’re going into a linked dungeon, right?”

“Yeah.”

Most dungeons had independent stories and goals.

However, some dungeons featured a connected story, like how the connection with the priest at the [Feathered Serpent Altar] continued into the [Feathered Serpent Temple].

The dungeon we were about to enter went a step further; not only was the story connected, but the strategy used in the previous dungeon directly affected the next one.

That’s why it was called a “linked dungeon”.

Shin Byeong-cheol asked again,

“You’re entering one today, and the next one?”

“Wednesday or Thursday night. I’d prefer to tackle it Wednesday night if possible.”

Since the swordsmanship club could contact us at any time, it was best to secure useful cards quickly.

I gave Go Hyeon-woo a look and he responded,

“I’ll make time whenever Kim-hyung wants.”

“Then, should we schedule it for Wednesday?”

At Shin Byeong-cheol’s question, we both nodded at the same time.

Shin Byeong-cheol’s tone then subtly changed.

“But, dear customers, I mean, dear hyung-nims, may I say something?”

When Shin Byeong-cheol acted in this humble like manner, it meant he wanted something.

I decided to hear him out and replied in a haughty tone.

“Speak. Let us hear it.”

“Well, you see, I received a random box as my guide fee last time, right?”

After the [Feathered Serpent Temple] dungeon, I gave Shin Byeong-cheol a D-rank random box as a reward.Yôur favorite stories at novelhall.com

However, since it was quite valuable for a single guide job, we had agreed he would take on several more unpaid requests in return.

These unpaid requests included the current and the next dungeon.

“Didn’t a wooden cup come out of it?”

“That’s exactly it.”

However, the unfortunate thing was that the random box contained a [Feathered Serpent Tribe Wooden Cup (F)].

As a result, Shin Byeong-cheol would end up doing three dungeons for just one wooden cup. This was a very bad deal for him.

And mentioning this meant,

“You’re saying you don’t feel motivated to guide for just one wooden cup and you want to quit?”

“Oh, no, hyung-nim. Quit? I’m not that much of an amateur.”

“Then?”

“I was just thinking, maybe a little incentive wouldn’t hurt...”

Shin Byeong-cheol’s voice trailed off.

The Great Eagle Escort Agency.

The goal of the dungeon was to participate in and achieve success in the events unfolding there.

I too needed to arrive at the escort agency without delay but,

“I still have some time.”

Instead of arriving early and waiting around, it was better to use this time productively.

So, I quickly changed directions and moved swiftly to another location.

The place I arrived at was a very ordinary-looking manor.

I leaped over the wall and looked inside, only to find it unusually quiet.

There were only a few workers cleaning with bored expressions on their faces.

The owner of the manor and those associated with him had coincidentally vacated the premises.

In fact, knowing they would be away was the reason I came here.

In other words, this is like robbing an empty house.

I watched a man sweeping the ground, and the moment he turned his back to me, I quietly dropped into the manor and moved swiftly.

My B+ rank Thief’s Step greatly minimized any noise I made, and by staying within blind spots, no one noticed my presence even in broad daylight.

So I wandered around the manor as if it were my own home. I eventually discovered a room and stepped inside.

It was the lord’s room.

At first glance, the room made one suspect the lord might be a scholar.

Books were piled up everywhere, and on the walls, famous poems and ink paintings were displayed.

Even on the table, the ink hadn’t dried, as if something had been written just moments ago.

Of course, it’s all a lie.

I looked at the stack of books in one corner.

Moving those aside would reveal a secret passage.

However, I had no intention of poking around in the secret passage.

That way, I would suffer less in the linked dungeon.

Instead, I shifted my gaze to the ink painting hanging on the wall.

Really, what a terrible drawing.

Even if you handed a brush and ink to a novice calligrapher, they would do better than this.

However, the main reason I came here was precisely for this ink painting, so I rolled it up and put it in my inventory.

Next, I opened the drawer, which revealed a small pouch.

Inside, there were quite a few silver coins.

I’ll take this too.

I was just about to run out of pocket money, so this was perfect timing.

If Dang Gyu-young saw this, she would be very pleased and say how I was such a model thief.

And she would hurry up with the club application form.

Anyway, now that gathered everything I needed, I casually retraced my steps and slowly left the manor.

I bought some jerky and a few snacks from the marketplace, put them in my inventory, and returned to the starting point in the alley.

Then I chewed the beef jerky and started a fire.

Whoosh,

When the flames grew large enough, I threw in the ink painting I had taken from the manor.

After watching the ink painting quickly turn black and burn away, I extinguished the fire and sifted through the ashes.

A piece of paper caught my eye, and after brushing off the ash, I saw it was only slightly scorched at the edge.

[Piece of the Treasure Map (A)]

A piece of a treasure map was hidden within the ink painting.

Another piece of evidence that the Lord was not a scholar.

It also indicated that possessing such a valuable item meant he was no ordinary person.

And the manor was no ordinary place either.

A safe house.

And a hideout for some very bad people.

And the bad deeds they were planning were undoubtedly deeply connected to the heart of this dungeon, the Great Eagle Escort Agency.

The manor being empty a while ago was all part of their preparation.

Time to go.

As it was about time, I headed towards the Great Eagle Escort Agency.